Pros:

Cons:

The console versions of FIFA Street 2 tried something a little fresher at least, and the result, while uninspiring, was better than the original. That's why it's so perplexing that the handheld versions are actually just portable installments of the original FIFA Street. While you'll find the original game more or less intact, none of the goodies in the console version made it to the PSP iteration. While it's better than what the DS got manhandled with, it's still plagued with its own issues, and even worse, without a right analog stick or any approximation (at least the DS version tried), you're stuck with the auto-trick function, which sucks out some of the fun. After all, what good is pulling off stylish soccer tricks if you don't even choose which one you're going to do?

You don't even get to design your own pitch like you do on the console versions, but at least character creation fares better than on the DS, giving you more customization options for your player in the career mode. After you've chosen his physical appearance and attributes in areas like accuracy and power, it's off to the pitch with three other players. From there, it's a matter of stringing together a variety of flashy tricks, which somehow makes it more likely for you to score a goal.

The problem is that pulling off the moves is just not satisfying, because without a right analog stick, you're stuck letting the game decide for you what move to do. One of the delights of the console versions is how smoothly you can pull off your tricks, and even the DS version made a weak attempt at using the touch screen for this purpose. On the PSP, you simply hit a button over and over again and then make a shot. It looks good and has a simple elegance at times, but it dumbs down a needed aspect of gameplay that was already on the repetitive side.

On the other hand, at least you have better defensive options on the PSP, thanks to one of the elements of the sequel that actually made its way onto handheld. Unlike on the DS, you can counter tricks when defending, which may not sound like much, but gives it a slight edge. Like on consoles, it's just a matter of choosing the right button and hoping for the best, but at least it gives you another gameplay mechanic on the admittedly weaker side of the ball. Either way, it's hardly perfect, since the artificial intelligence of the original FIFA Street was apparently ported to the PSP's incarnation. Outfielders aren't the brightest and lack aggressiveness, often just standing there, waiting to be humiliated by the opposing team. Not that the opposing team is all that smart: goalkeepers often forget they're even playing ball, mentally twiddling their thumbs until the ball gets near them, and either watching the ball zoom past them and into the net, or inexplicably performing an impressive save from the other side of the net. The reason for this is simple: the shot itself has little to do with your success or failure -- it's how well you built your combo up in advance.